Powerline networks provide energy from a power source (e.g. a hydroelectric dam) to a network of residential and commercial customer sites. The power carried over transmission lines in the network can be distributed through a series of sub-networks to the actual sites. Meters at the sites monitor the power usage, which provides usage data for billing purposes. Some meters provide automated remote transmissions of reading data to a central location, such as a head end of the power network. Such meters have limited capabilities.